Tour de France Grand Depart could return to Britain after 2014 start in Yorkshire

Yorkshire's historic hosting of the opening stages of next year's Tour de
France could be the first of many Grands Départs in the United Kingdom,
according to race director Christian Prudhomme.

Home from home: Chris Froome could be competing in the Tour de France in Britain on a regular basis Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

3:36PM BST 26 Jul 2013

Following back-to-back British wins by Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, Prudhomme insists it is imperative that the Tour de France and the sport as a whole cashes in on an unprecedented level of popularity in the UK.

"The future of cycling speaks English – and I am a Frenchman (saying that)," said Prudhomme.

Yorkshire saw off a rival English bid plus one from Scotland win the honour of hosting the opening of the world's most prestigious cycle race in 2014, and officials in Scotland have already indicated they are likely to bid again for a 2017 Grand Départ.

Prudhomme added: "We had three bids and Yorkshire won, and we still have a bid from Scotland. There is a huge passion for cycling in the United Kingdom and it is very important to keep the passion here – very, very important."

Prudhomme is convinced the 190 kilometre opening stage of next year's tour from Leeds to Harrogate will go down as one of the toughest on record.